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Halfings
Halflings Halflings in Myradon are fairly widespread, and can be found in almost all lands occupied by humans or elves. Generally speaking, there are "common" halflings whom are quite widespread, and three other sub-groups: the isolated, altruistic Ikiro Halflings, the docile farmer Hobbits, and the Inayaga Clan of nomadic halfling gypsies. Common Halflings Spread throughout the western Mainlund, common Halflings can be found as both pastoral farmers and tradesmen in sleepy villages, as well as cut-purses, thieves and merchants in larger urban areas. Most halflings in the realm are of this lineage, and don't mind integrating into the societies of their larger neighbors, as opposed to forming their own governments and nations. Ikiro Halflings The Ikiro Halflings demonstrate plenty of the standard halfling traits like loyalty to the community friendliness, and kindness, but eschew some of the desire for material comfort of their 'normal' halfling brethren These halflings live rural, simple, somewhat monastic lives deep in the isolated nooks and crannies of the Mist Mountains, doing simple farm labor most of their lives and sharing their resources with their neighbors in very tight-knit villages. They have much less of a sense of 'self' than other halflings, being happy only when serving their community, and eschew expensive material comforts. Ikiro communities can appear Utopian and egalitarian to the outside visitor. They maintain strict social order with a deep sense of responsibility to the group, and any behavior that is at odds with the group's best interest is not tolerated at all. Strangely there is not really any concept of jails among these folks, despite their strict rules. Isolation from community events is punishment enough for most infractions, and anything beyond that is dealt with by expulsion from the community, for a set duration of time, which can be anything from a month to a lifetime banishment. These communities are almost always semi-arboreal in nature, with most family structures being constructed within the sturdy branches of evergreen spruce and pine trees. While all Halflings are known for their broad & hairy feet, Ikiro halflings have exceptionally strong feet and toes, due to their practice of living in tree houses, which guarantees a certain proficiency in scampering up tree trunks and rope ladders. Their toe nails are quite durable and sharp, and other halflings will sometimes refer to their rural Ikiro cousins as "half-squirrels". Inayaga Halflings At their best, halflings are home-loving, loyal, determined people, and at their worst they are cut-throats, tricksters, thieves, and pickpockets. The Inayaga halflings of the Footlands certainly fall into the latter. This extended family of halfling gypsies wander the south-central coastal areas of the Mainlund, in the country of The Footlands usually, selling their trinkets, curses, wares, and services to the local human residents then slipping away under the cover of darkness before their customers realize their snake oils are fake and their games of chance, rigged. Originally, the Inayaga Clan lived with the Ikiro Halflings of the Mist Mountains, but made a living traveling out of the remote mountains and down into the Daegon human region to sell various herbs and roots from their homesteads. This trade brought them gold, more so than the normal Ikiro society was accustomed to having, and according to the Ikiro records, this corrupted the Inayaga into becoming greedy merchants, and later on, into simple thieves The Inayaga themselves claim they were expelled from their home by the other Ikiro because one of their family forefathers had seduced away two wives from the ruling counsel members, but this is hotly contested by the Ikiro now. Regardless, the Inayaga were asked to leave the Mist Mountains, and to not return until they abandoned their shiftless ways. The Inayaga are collected into some half dozen sub-clans who travel around the country side, occasionally joining up with their cousins for especially big events. The human citizens of The Footlands are known for their love of holidays and celebrations, so the Inayaga travel from town to town just in time for the next local festival, so that they can set up camp to entertain the revelers. The Inayaga women-folk are the deal-makers and spell-weavers of the race, wherein the men are the entertainers and pickpockets, and they offer all those services, for a price. They are famous for riding upon the backs of large, specially-bred dogs Parthian Hobbits Some of the oldest permanent halfling settlements in the land of Myradon are located in small rural pockets in the human nation of Partha. As part of their older expansionist era, the Parthians traveled and traded with many foreign peoples, and came into contact with the halflings before the diminutive folk fully spread across the Mainlund. Some of the halflings the Parthians first encountered chose to return to Partha to form permanent farmsteads under the protection of the militaristic Parthians, in exchange for somewhat heavy taxation of their crops. Over time, the halflings in Partha lost more and more of their original halfling nomadic, isolated ways and came to become sedentary farmers in Partha. Later on, their skills in counting and keeping inventory allowed them to become clerks for the Parthian bureaucracy They are most commonly found assisting Parthian tax collectors reconcile their ledgers now, and enjoy this position of privilege These halflings refer to themselves as "hobbits", and do not consider other "wilder" halflings to be their kin, more like distant relatives. The Inayaga halflings especially do not get along with the hobbits, referring to them as "fat-bellied lap-dogs" to the Parthians, while the hobbits think of their sly cousins as "dog-riding sheep-thieves".